Originally Posted By clamber:
Im building my first AR15 and I want FDE furniture and mags but I cannot afford to buy furniture already made FDE so I want to paint them myself.

Would it be a bad idea to paint a mid-length handguard, grip, m4 stock and pmags with krylon?

If I do that, is there anything I should know? Where to paint, where not to?

What kind of krylon works best for a job like this?

Any tips?

Thanks,
Coby.

I don't think there is FDE 'rattle can' paint yet. Maybe FDE Duracoat. (IIRC there is some form of Duracoat that comes in a spray can. It might be a 'temporary' paint like Krylon though)

If you just want to do Krylon their "khaki" tan might be close(will be a little lighter). I would look for the 'Krylon Fusion Ultra-Flat Camouflage' line. It bonds well with plastic. I would just take apart the handguard from the heat shield. Degrease with rubbing alcohol and let dry. Paint in light coats until it it is even and let dry. I usually paint things in the summer here when it is around 100+F and just let them "bake" in the sun for a few hours. Do the same for the rest.

Krylon will get 'dings' and does come off when using some types of cleaners. But I like the look they get after a while of getting dinged up and some paint chipped off.

oops, was looking at another site about FDE painting and a couple people posted that AERVOE's camo paint line has a color called "Field Drab" that is supposed to match FDE pretty well. I used their tan before and it was not as durable as the Krylon Fusion line.

Thanks! That looks pretty good to me. And I agree, some wear in it will look pretty cool.
Id doesn't need to be permanent really, just as long as it will last a few months until I can buy some Magpul furniture.